West Brom signs Saints striker Jay Rodriguez n £12m deal

West Bromwich Albion have signed England striker Jay Rodriguez from Southampton in a deal amounting to £12m.

Rodriguez, 27, often struggled with injuries in his time with the Saints, scoring 32 goals in 126 games.

He missed the entire 2014-15 season after a serious knee injury and then had ankle surgery in November 2015, making only 16 appearances that season, before netting six goals in 34 appearances last season.

However, he enjoyed a prolific season in 2013-14, in which he scored 15 Premier League goals and made his only cap for England.

“After one or two ‘near misses’ I’m absolutely buzzing to be here,” Rodriguez — a long-term target for West Brom boss Tony Pulis — said in a statement published on the club’s official website.

“The most important thing for any player is to be wanted – and Tony Pulis and Albion have made it clear just how much they have wanted me to join. That’s fantastic for any footballer to hear.”

“I’m genuinely delighted to be joining a club of Albion’s stature. The team is full of top players and it’s pretty clear that they are also a great set of lads.”

Rodriguez, who started life as a youth product of Burnley, left his home town club for Southampton in a reported £7m move in 2012, and made his international debut against Chile in November 2013.

Although he was in contention for England’s World Cup squad, his knee injury in April 2014 meant he was out six months and unavailable as England was subsequently eliminated in the group stages.